AFTER A SECOND CHANCE

Her eyes fell on the date.

And in that moment—

Everything went silent.

Her grip on the phone tightened.

“…No way…”

Her voice cracked.

“This… this is…”

Her heart started racing again, faster than before.

“Ten years ago…?”

The phone slipped slightly in her trembling hands as the truth settled in.

Iraya slowly looked up, her expression no longer just confused—

But shaken to the core.

She wasn’t in the basement anymore.

"I was dead but —"

"I'm back."

For a few moments, Iraya just stood there, staring at nothing, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Then slowly…

her breathing steadied.

The panic in her eyes began to fade, replaced by something colder. Sharper.

She tightened her grip on the phone, lowering it slightly.

“So… this is real…”

A faint, disbelieving laugh escaped her lips, but this time, it wasn’t weak.

It was steady.

“I got another chance…”

Her eyes darkened as memories flashed through her mind—

The basement.

The betrayal.

The cold faces of her brothers.

Zoya’s smile.

Iraya’s expression hardened.

“…then I won’t waste it.”

She placed the phone down slowly, her trembling hands finally becoming still.

“This time…” she murmured, her voice calm but firm,

“I’ll use this chance wisely.”

Her gaze lifted toward the mirror across the room.

The girl staring back at her was no longer the same one who had died in that basement.

This time—

Iraya would not stay silent.

Her gaze remained fixed on the mirror, her expression calm… yet filled with something dangerous.

After a brief moment, her brows slowly furrowed.

“…Wait.”

Her mind began to race, memories falling into place one after another.

“Two weeks from today…”

She whispered the words as if confirming them to herself.

“The Auroras will come with a marriage proposal.”

Her eyes darkened slightly.

“For their eldest son…”

Iraya’s fingers curled tightly at her sides.

“That was the beginning,” she murmured.

She remembered it clearly now—

Zoya’s excitement.

The family’s approval.

That alliance… that marriage…

And everything that followed after.

Iraya took a slow breath, her thoughts sharpening.

“No…”

Her voice was quiet, but firm.

“This time, I won’t let that happen.”

She lifted her chin slightly, her reflection staring back at her with newfound resolve.

“I have to stop Zoya’s marriage to him… no matter what.”

A brief silence filled the room.

Then, without hesitation, she said—

“I’ll marry him instead.”

The words settled in the air, bold and unshaken.

And for the first time since her return—

Iraya had a plan.

Iraya’s gaze lingered on her reflection for a moment longer before she turned away.

“Right now…” she murmured softly, her thoughts already moving ahead,

“I’m free to go anywhere.”

No restrictions.

No basement.

No chains holding her back.

This was the moment she had been given—

And she wasn’t going to waste it.

Without hesitation, she reached for her phone again. Her fingers moved quickly, dialing a number she remembered all too well.

The call connected after a few rings.

Iraya’s expression remained steady as she spoke,

“Hello… can we meet?”

There was a pause on the other end.

“Yes, today. It’s urgent.”

Another brief silence.

“…Alright.”

Her voice didn’t waver.

“I’ll be there in an hour.”

She ended the call and lowered the phone slowly.

For a second, she stood still—

Then a faint, knowing smile appeared on her lips.

Everything was beginning to move.

And this time—

She would be the one in control.

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